Mon 19th Oct - After the arrival and sorting stuff was out of the way, time to hit the
streets of Chinatown whilst there is light. Need to pick up a new watch at some
point, as my old one broke. Some street markets around as well as the Komplex
mall. Muntri is home to a couple of lovely Chinese temples. The nearest is 175
years old according to the old guy who was sat inside. The main figure at the altar
he referred to as the 'Ghost'. Not sure why, so I need to do some research into
that?
I have this
theme of 'doors and windows of the world'. I have got hundreds of photos of
them. The old town here is door and window heaven, as there are so many
beautiful designs in the Chinatown area alone. Every shophouse and business is
different. I began in the 'Art & Cafe' which wasn't serving food for
another hour, but I could look around at the building and art gallery upstairs.
It is one of those places which wows you as soon as you step foot into the
street.
I
had a wonderful afternoon walking around this old town. The esplanade area on
the water front is lovely, with a colonial town hall, and the Cornwallis fort,
plus a restored lighthouse and ship's mast. Many historical monuments such as
the clocktower and streets with quaint names beginning with either Lebuh
(street) or Jalan (Main road). Figures from history are popular in the naming:
Campbell, Kimberly, Hatton, McAlister, Farquhar etc the town's historical
influences are all too present as you stroll from Chinatown, with its tightly
packed vibrant shophouses and into Little India and the heady aromas of spices
emanating from the numerous local restaurants and snack bars, all suffused with
the thumping beat of Banghra music from oversized speakers on the pavements;
shops selling pretty saris, and the Indian's penchant for all things sweet are
catered for in many sweet shops. There is no doubting you are India here! A
nice temple. October 25th is the annual Dewali (aka Deepavali) festival of
light celebration. This is a perfect place to be for that. I stopped in the Kapitan Kelin Mosque on Lebuh Buckingham
just as prayers were commencing. The haunting sound of the Muezzin sends
tingles down your spine and as night fell, it took on a more dazzling form as
the surrounding area lit up with street lights. It is taboo to take photographs
during prayer sessions after 6pm, so just have to be content with taking it all
in. They have some great tourist leaflets on everything to do with Islam in a
stand by the entrance. I found the same leaflets in Singapore. Excellent idea,
aimed at dispelling some of the misunderstandings about the Islamic faith for
the outside world to understand the culture better.
In
the evening I ventured into the entertainment area where the bars seemed empty
until I found out that it was a National Holiday. Slippery Senoritas, Uptown
bar, and many others were limbering up for live music later, but I was too early
for that. There is a definite lively side to this town and also a feeling of
quality. History has shaped it to be like going into Shanghai, catering for all
tastes and cultures. There is a nice open food court in the Night market on
Jalan Penang. Old couples were waltzing in between the table to some nice slow
music. Pleasant and sweet to watch them.
Tue 20th Oct - Another day on foot exploring. First off was the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, which conducts
narrated tours in English by a very knowledgeable Chinese lady, who kept
leaping in the air when she said something amusing. She was entertaining,
albeit with a facts and figures overdose! 12 ringgits (RM) entrance. No
photographs allowed other than with prior arrangement. One of the most ornate
buildings in the town, constructed by a man who dedicated himself to providing
every service he could. His business was multi-national and multi-cultural. The
mansion was very much a shrine to the principle of Feng Shui Chi design. Every
element having a detailed explanation to its origin. Well worth taking the
tour. He was a bit of a polygamist and had many wives spread around so it
seemed. A bank of five low level buildings opposite the main house were
constructed to house the kitchens and staff, and low enough to prevent anyone
from ever building something that could block out the light into his house,
thereby destroying the Feng Shui/ Ying & Yang business that is all so
important in creating the flow of good through the property.
After
that, a bit of light shopping walking down through Lebuh Campbell to the Komtar Complex shopping mall. Bought
myself a new watch to replace the one that just broke, and purchased a Digi SIM
card. 10 RM pre-loaded with 5RM credit (top-up at 7-11 stores) texts 15 Sen
international, 10cents local. Passport details are required to buy a SIM. Also,
have to wait 30 minutes before you can use it after it has been registered, so
had lunch whilst waiting to try it out before leaving the building, in case
there was a problem.
An
afternoon of temples...the highlight being the Khoo Kongsi temple. A Hokkein style testament to everything it is
possible to make ostentatious in a single building. The stonework, the
lanterns, the gold leaf on the statues, the tiling work on the roofing, well
worth the RM12 entrance fee. More walking, another temple. This time an Indian
one at the 'Goddess of mercy' temple. Even more walking and then boarded the
QE2 for coffee. Well it sounds posh doesn't it? It is actually a restaurant by
the water’s edge and a nice one at that. 7 Ringgits for a coffee listening to
sophisticated music from the classics. This felt so British of me I was content
whilst watching the ferries come and go from the adjacent terminal. This is
where I had come to Penang last year. I have no idea why we came that route
instead of using the suspension bridge, which is obviously quicker.
Collected
my passport with my Thai visa. 60 days free and can enter any time in the next
3 mths.
I
had the most awesome Indian meal in the evening at the Maharaj restaurant on Penang road next to the Odean cinema. Dishes
ranging from all over India, it was hard to choose. Indian music and authentic
décor inside. There are plenty of local Indian restaurants in the area, but I
wanted something special. And it sure was. Served on banana leaf for
authenticity and eaten with fingers, I had a nice mix of Kashmiri and vegetable
dishes. All the staff spoke English and were helpful. Highly recommended.
Got
offered a few ladies on the short walk to the Uptown Bistro from some of the
dodgiest looking characters I have seen in a while. Can't seem to escape this
wherever I go. Dropped into a pub for a nice Kilkenny beer. Reminded me of
being back in the UK, and the first 'Real Beer' I have had in ages. Tasted good...
Wed 21st Oct - A bit of an ambling day today. Didn't get to bed until
around 3am, so wasn't surprised when I didn't get out of bed until after 11am.
Half the day had gone by now, so got up and went for brunch at the Western Oriental Café. The idea was to
work out the plan for the next few days, so went to get some advice on the
jungle railway. Good that I did, as I had got some of the information wrong. What
I also learnt was a bit disturbing. I had been walking around with my camera
over my shoulder. They were shocked that I hadn't been mugged. They showed me a
newspaper article highlighting the fact that almost every day, especially
around Muntri street, someone gets their back snatched off their shoulder by a
passing motorcycle that has been stalking them. One article was about a girl
with her boyfriend who had lost their passports and money. Ruined their dream
holiday of course. Also, part of my plan to return to Thailand via the risky
area of Su Ngai Kolok, was dismissed as crazy, as there had been much trouble,
and recently according to one agent. The problem is how you get hold of current
information? Not always easy, even the government sites as they always play it
too safe.
Another
indulgent Indian meal in the evening. Really spoiling myself with good food
here. With Indian TV playing whilst I dined.
Thu 22nd Oct - After another late start and breakfast, I thought I
should do something different. I had plodded the streets enough over the past
few days. Penang hill seemed a good idea, for a trip on the funicular railway
and a panoramic view f the island. Bus 204 goes there for 2RM and can be picked
up in a number of places. I went to the Komtar bus terminal and it arrived
within a few minutes. Clean, air-conditioned and smooth. The buses are a great
feature of this town, and so cheap to use. The lodgings give out slips of paper
with the bus numbers and destinations. Slightly confusing, but not when you
have a map, bus 204 is going to 'Air Itam' (aka Penang Hill). It drops right
outside the entrance of the Funicular terminal.
The
ride to the top costs RM4 return (RM3 one way if you are crazy enough to want
to walk back down), and is in two stages taking about 25 minutes. Incredibly
steep and an interesting history from its initial attempt at a steam driven
version, followed by the present modern cable driven version. There are seats,
but the carriages are filled with standing passengers too. The rains had begun
just before I got to the terminal and finished soon after I arrived, so I was
lucky that the whole time I was on the hill it didn't rain. The views are
superb. The suspension bridge spanning the Malaccan strait and the town spread
out below.
One
of the highlights apart from the train is the Indian temple on top of the hill.
Beautiful design with vibrant colours, and lucky that the Brahmin was
conducting a sermon whilst I was there. The present building replaced an
earlier design, which had been constructed for the use of the Indian migrant
workers who labored on the railway and other buildings on the hill during the
late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Many
other things to see, such as a mosque, the Penang hotel, an aviary, a place to
have your photo taken with a Python, and food court. I had a nice Indian
chickpea, onion, chilli and daal snack for RM3.
A
bit of a British institution in the form of the David Brown's restaurant at Strawberry Hill was a nice interlude to
my trip back towards the train terminal. A typical British colonial building,
with ornamental lily pond out front. What more could I do but have Cameronian
tea and scone, considering it was mid-afternoon. Expensive, but a necessary
treat. The scones are cooked fresh too. Well it sounded nice. They forgot my
scone, and the tea was cold. When they delivered the scone I had no tea left. I
wouldn't mind, but on the way in to the place a small group I had been on the
train with said they had the worse meal in all their time in Penang, and the most
expensive. My own experience seemed to corroborate that. The head waiter was
Filipino and it was interesting to chat with him about places we both knew. He
had been there for 13 years, with an annual visit back to the Philippines. Had
a nice chat with a couple of British ladies before I left. One was teaching in
a British school here, and the other a teacher in Ho Chi Ming city in Vietnam,
visiting the other lady. Both had spent around 17 years in Asia and loved it.
It isn't hard to understand why. Those of us who make the transition from west
to east can see it clearly, like a magnet, it draws you in, and the magnetic
pull is hard to resist, so you don't find it easy to pull free.
Apart
from Indian visitors, I was surprised at the amount of retired Australians here
today. Small groups of them everywhere. I have to say that they were enjoying
the good life, and showing signs of it...not a skinny one amongst them!
The
return trains run until around 9pm, so no hurry back, and the buses run until
midnight. At the bottom of the hill, there were so many taxis waiting, but most
of the people were on organized tours, with coaches waiting for them. I only
had to sit for a few minutes and the 204 bus arrived to take me back to the
town. A pretty sight which I love to see, is a group of young Indian girls
getting on at a bus stop like a sea of colour in their Saris. At the next stop
they were joined by a group of Muslim ladies in their attractive clothing and
colourful headscarfs. It looks so lovely to see the cultures mixed together in
a celebration of who they are in this mulit-cultural place. The west by
comparison is a bit drab by comparison I have to say. We don't use colour in
the way that Asian cultures do. Celebrate it, don't hide it. I know that
climate has a lot to do with it, but it lifts your spirits to be surrounded by
a tehnicolour carpet of clothing.
Time
to move on tomorrow, and so I stopped at the 75 traveller’s lodge to book my
ticket to Ipoh for 9am tomorrow morning. I really want to go to Jerantut for
the Jungle railway, but have to go to Ipoh first and check out my options on
arrival.
It
has been a really satisfying day, and considering it had been a quick change of
idea in the morning, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.
On
the way there and back I saw a few other landmarks which may be interesting to
visit someday such as the National Mosque and the Kek Lok Si Temple. But I have sort of had enough of temples for the
moment, no matter how nice they seem.
Well
in case I didn't get the opportunity for a while to eat Indian, for the third
night on the run I ate Indian. Yep, my system will probably rebel tomorrow, but
what the heck. Had spicy mix for lunch and this time went western Indian, but
with extra spice to throw my stomach into overload. The Maharaj restaurant
which I enjoyed the first time was my choice, and didn't disappoint. Will miss
Penang for a number of reasons, especially the food. I am sure I will be back
some day, as I have left things to do, rather than try to do it all in one go.
Last time I was here was in the north west of the island, and as such a totally
different experience. Penang has so much to offer, that it rates high on my
list of favourite destinations now.
That's all for now....
